Ceres police pursuit ends in crash in north Modesto

A mailbox theft in Ceres on Wednesday afternoon ended in a crash in north Modesto following a high-speed pursuit.

A witness called police after seeing two people breaking into a community mailbox in the Eastgate neighborhood north of Whitmore Avenue at about 2 p.m., according to Ceres police Sgt. Greg Yotsuya.

The suspects left the scene in a Toyota Yaris, and the witness followed them until a Ceres police officer was able to catch up.

The officers attempted to pull over the suspects, but the driver failed to yield. A pursuit ensued, heading north on Highway 99, then exiting into north Modesto.

Ceres officers pursued the vehicle as it drove in circles around north Modesto, reaching speeds of 60 to 70 mph on thoroughfares like Standiford and Sylvan avenues, Tully Road and Claribel Road.

The pursuit lasted about 20 minutes and ended when the Toyota and a Ceres police K9 officer vehicle collided on Sylvan east of McHenry.

Yotsuya said the suspects came upon slowed traffic and tried to go around it, but the front bumper of the Toyota clipped the back bumper of a bystanders’ vehicle, then collided with the right front end of the K9 officer’s vehicle.

The K9 officer, Kiashira Ruiz, was treated at the scene, Yotsuya said. Her K9 Leo was not injured.

The driver of the Toyota, 25-year-old Carlos Gomez of Tracy, and passenger, 22-year-old Richard Raygoza of Modesto, were taken to a Modesto hospital to be medically cleared before being booked, Yotsuya said. Charges are pending.

Yotsuya said mail was found inside the Toyota.

This story was originally published September 12, 2018 at 3:57 PM.